Wednesday, August 07, 2013

It’s that time of year where our zucchini plants are most
prolific and I try to find innovative ways to prepare our bounty of squash. I
make noodles out of them with my mandoline and serve with a warm pasta sauce or
cold with an Asian-flavored sauce, bake loaves of zucchini bread, and make a quick
zucchini/green bean salad. I add them to chili, grill them on the barbeque, and
slice them into salads. But I needed something more.

This led me to zucchini fritters and I have been trying out
different recipes the last few weeks. My favorite is one from Bon Appetit (July 2013). The recipe
itself is solid and needed no adjustment, but my one change was swapping out
the soy dipping sauce. I prefer a creamy sauce, one that utilizes our lemons
and makes the fritter look more like a potato pancake when dressed. I’ll
include both sauce recipes below so you can choose which you prefer. I am
thinking these might even be good in a smaller version, served as an appetizer.

The recipe was easy enough and preparation and cooking time were
minimal. The majority of the time was spent draining the zucchini of excess
water. While you can use a standard cheese grater for the zucchini, I highly
recommend using a food processor or mandoline to grate the zucchini, as you
tend to get better strands.

The fritters fried up quickly in a minimal amount of oil and
can be kept warm in the oven as you finish the batch. Do not crowd the
fritters. Most skillets will accommodate 4-5 fritters at a time, and you will
need to make at least 2 batches.

Zucchini Fritters

1 1/2
pounds zucchini (about 3 medium), grated

1/2
teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning

1 large
egg

1/4 cup
all-purpose flour

3
tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

1
tablespoon cornstarch

Freshly
ground black pepper

1/3 cup
vegetable oil

Place grated
zucchini in a colander set in the sink and toss with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Let
stand for 10-15 minutes, then wring zucchini dry in a clean kitchen towel.
Place zucchini in a large bowl and gently mix in egg, flour, chives, and
cornstarch; season with salt and pepper.

Heat
oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop 1/4-cupfuls of zucchini mixture
into skillet, flattening slightly; cook until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes
per side. Transfer fritters to a paper towel–lined plate; season with salt. Repeat
as needed.

Note: Fritters
can be made 30 minutes ahead. Keep warm in a 200° oven.

Lemon-Garlic Sauce

1 cup
sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

1
tablespoon lemon zest

2
tablespoons lemon juice

2
garlic cloves, minced

1/2
teaspoon seasoning salt

Mix all
ingredients in small bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow
flavors to meld.

Soy Dipping Sauce

3
tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

1
tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 1/2
teaspoons sugar

Crushed
red pepper flakes

Mix
vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and a pinch of red pepper flakes in a small bowl
until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

What a difference 4 days make! We made a quick trip to watch
our nephew compete in the Junior National Volleyball Championships and came
home four short days later to a bounty of boysenberries. This is our first year
of full production off our 3 thornless boysenberry plants, staked up to the
fence along our driveway (making it a bit difficult to park during the blooming
summer months!). They were just dripping with berries, yielding 8 pints upon
our return. Every two days since then I am able to pick another 3-4 pints. So I
have been getting creative with this boysenberry bonanza.

Not one to waste such deliciousness, and being short on time
initially, I processed the majority of that first batch berries using the IQF
method. IQF stand for individual quick freeze and involves placing the berries
in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freezing them until hard. This allows
you to pack them in a large Ziploc bag without them sticking to one another.

I also combined the berries with Blenheim apricots that I
picked up at LJB Farms to make an apricot-boysenberry crisp for a 4th
of July fete. Every year I get one lug of Blenheims and make the most wonderful
apricot-vanilla
jam. Blenheims ripen and have a limited window of time of about 10 days
each June/July, so I have to watch closely for their availability. (I think
someone needs to figure out a way to lengthen that season!!!)

But the real winners so far in my boysenberry fest were
served at last Sunday’s family dinner. I made homemade boysenberry ice cream
and boysenberry macarons. Not sure what got into me, as the weather was very
hot and baking wasn’t really the smartest thing to do, but I had a yen for
macarons, so there you go. I can think of worse things to do on a hot day but
the end result, and a grateful family, made it all worth it.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Godmothers are wonderful creatures. They are an endless
supply of love, wisdom, and wonderful recipes. My godmother, Joyce, has
been exceptional on all points. Last year, she guided my attempt at sweet potato
gnocchi that was a rousing success. Soft orange pillows bathed in brown
butter and sage, they have become part of my permanent repertoire. More
recently she sent me a recipe for a tapenade, that wonderfully salty olive
mixture that pairs perfectly with a fresh baguette or tossed with pasta. Of
course, I couldn’t help but tinker with the recipe, fine-tuning it to my own
tastes and pantry.

This take on tapenade features sundried tomatoes and sautéed
onion, adding some heft and flavor to the chunky mixture. The end result was
fantastic, with the family mounding spoonfuls onto thick slabs of bread, being
completely devoured in a matter of seconds. The preparation is simple, and
makes enough for a cocktail party or, in our case, two family Sunday dinners. Ingredients
are available year-round, so no need to limit it to one season. Take it on a
picnic, serve it at the holidays, and pair it with a hearty red wine. You won’t
be disappointed.

Sundried Tomato-Olive
Tapenade

1 medium red or purple onion, minced

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 8.5-ounce jar sundried tomatoes (packed in oil)*

1/2 cup large green olives (manzanilla, sevillano, or
similar)

1/2 cup cured black olives (kalamata, nicoise, etc.)

1 cup loosely packed basil leaves

Approximately 1 3/4 cups extra virgin olive oil

fresh cracked pepper

Optional: 1 teaspoon cracked red pepper flakes

Heat one tablespoon each of butter and vegetable oil in
frying pan over medium heat. Add minced onion and sauté, stirring frequently,
until just turning brown. Add balsamic, scraping up any brown bits stuck to the
pan. Remove from heat.

Drain sundried tomatoes, reserving oil. Roughly chop the
tomatoes and place in a bowl. Pit olives, if necessary, and roughly chop,
adding to the tomatoes. Mince the fresh basil leaves and add to the bowl. Stir
in the onion mixture. Add 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper, stirring well. (If you
like a spicier tapenade, you can add cracked red pepper flakes.)

Pour reserved oil from tomatoes into a measuring cup. Add
olive oil to make 2 cups total. Add to tomato-olive mixture and stir well. Pour
into large jar or Tupperware and allow to sit overnight.

The following day, using a food processor, stick blender, or
traditional blender, process the mixture with a few quick pulses. Do not
over-blend, as you want a somewhat chunky texture. Add additional black pepper
to taste. Serve with slices of sourdough, rustic country, or french bread for
dipping.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Brilliant Daughter celebrated a milestone birthday this year. True to family
tradition, she hosted 15 friends and family to a weekend getaway in Cambria
to “roar out her 20’s.” The theme: Prohibition.

I prepared much of the food and drink, all of which had an
era-appropriate theme or play on words. One of the more popular items was found
in the guests’ goodie bags: Apple Pie Moonshine, or as it is better known “Mrs.
B’s Miracle Elixir.” (Yes,
adults also get goodie bags when they attend one our weekend soirees!!)

I cooked up two batches of this tasty liquor, which I then “aged” and bottled in glass flasks. Brilliant Daughter designed
an appropriate label, and I dipped the lids in wax to give it an old-timey
flair.

While this takes a few hours to make, the process was not only simple,
it made my house smell like heaven. Apple cider and juice, spiced with cinnamon
boiling away on the stove. Honestly, the aroma was just like a fresh-baked
apple pie!

I spent a couple of hours researching different recipes. Finally boiled
it down (pun intended) to the following, which I thought would have a strong
enough apple flavor and be more like a liquor or liqueur than a wine. And boy
was I right. This liquor is smooth, goes down mighty easily, and tastes just
like an apple pie.

While you start with 151-proof grain alcohol, by the time you boil down
the juice mixture and add it in, I estimate it is more like 70-proof.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Dieting
means I have sworn off a lot of food items, including sweets. Not an easy task
when you have a sweet tooth like me. But I recently needed to check out some
recipes to serve at Brilliant Daughter’s big birthday celebration. I found a
base recipe (which I adjusted to suit my own tastes) for a cookie that combines
3 things we love: shortbread (we are of British descent after all),
coffee, and chocolate. How could I go wrong?

While I am a committed Peet’s coffee drinker, one of my
recipe modifications makes use of Starbuck’s instant Via coffee packets. We
received some as a gift and every time I open the coffee cabinet I wonder what
I will do with them. No longer, as they are the perfect ingredient for this
recipe.

These shortbread cookies are rich, full of flavor and crunch
and perfect with a scoop of coffee ice cream or a piping hot cappuccino (not
that I can indulge, mind you). I promise that I taste-tested both batches—one
with cocoa nibs and one without—and they are really, really good. I mean,
addictive good. I had to package them up for the butchers, Mr. B’s co-workers,
Brilliant Daughter’s co-workers, and for Electrician Son and his fiancée,
otherwise my diet would have been blown to hell. Down 17 pounds, with only 8 to
go, I am determined, scrumptious cookies or no….

So go ahead, give them a try. If you like a little extra
crunch, add in the cocoa nibs. If not, they are perfect with the mini chocolate
chips alone (Brilliant Daughter’s preference).

Dissolve coffee
powder in boiling water to make coffee concentrate. Set aside to cool for 5
minutes.

Meanwhile, beat
butter and sugar together on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping bowl
occasionally. Beat in vanilla bean paste and coffee concentrate, mixing for 1
minute. Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour, mixing just until all specks
of flour are gone. Don’t overmix the dough as it will get tough. Quickly fold
in the chocolate chips (and cocoa nibs).

Transfer dough to a
gallon-size Ziploc or between two large sheets of waxed paper. Flatten dough
with you hand as much as you can, and then use a rolling pin to roll it out to
¼-inch thickness. Try and keep it as square or rectangular as you can. You will
need to periodically lift plastic or waxed paper up to remove any creases that
occur. Once you reach correct thickness, seal bag or fold paper over ends and
refrigerate for 2 hours or more (up to 2 days).

Preheat the oven to
325 degrees. Prepare cookie sheets with parchment or silpat.

Tuesday, April 02, 2013

I love to cook. I love food. I love my kitchen. All three
things combined make me terribly happy, particularly when preparing meals for
people I care about. Digging my hands into flour, kneading dough, harvesting
herbs for a stew, chopping vegetables, and frosting cupcakes all bring me joy
and an amazing calm. I am probably at my best when spending long hours in the
kitchen. But there is a downside….

I insist on tasting things I make, particularly if they are
newer recipes or creations. I will not serve something sub-par, or if I do out
of desperation I hang my head in shame while my family consoles me. But those
tastes, those final products, all that wonderful glorious food seems to attach
itself to unwanted places on my body. This wasn’t always the case, but age,
metabolism, menopause and a slowdown in physical activity have made the area
between by waist and knees a prime target for (sigh!) fat.

Much to my family’s dismay, I have drastically cut calories.
They are amazed at the small amount of food I now intake. I rarely serve
desserts at Sunday dinner anymore, and should I feel the need to bake, I do so
and then package it up to send up to the my son’s butcher buddies, my husband’s
workmates, or various family and friends. I can no longer fill my cake domes
with goodies for the taking. I just cannot have it in the house, which makes me
terribly sad. Everyone who visits knows where the goodies reside and an empty
counter means empty tummies. I hate that others have to suffer at my expense.

So, one of the reasons I have not been posting is that I
have embarked on a personal renewal program. I started by constructing a diet
that would work for me, and 8 weeks later I was down almost 7 pounds. I began
taking walks several times a week, mostly bymyself, but occasionally with Brilliant Daughter or Mr. B.

Two weeks ago, in an effort to ramp up the weight loss, I consulted a doctor and began a medically supervised weight loss
program. I also added yoga to my regimen and am making more of an effort to work
with some light weights (to deter that unsightly upper arm flap).

I’m almost halfway to my goal and to a closet full of
clothes that have not fit in some time. I am feeling lighter, stronger and
better able to resist temptation. Unfortunately, my cooking creativity has gone
by the wayside for the moment, but I know this is just temporary, much like the
empty cake dome.

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Last weekend, while on a jaunt to Napa Valley, I saw a farro
and kale salad on the menu. While I did not try it, the combination intrigued
me, so I set about the make my own version of this healthy dish.

While perusing the produce aisle for ingredients, I found an
organic rainbow kale salad (described as a variety of seasonal kales and
carrots). The green, purple and orange hues were beautiful and intrigued me,
not to mention that the already cleaned and chopped kale would make my job
easier, so I grabbed a tub to use as the base of the salad.

Farro is a staple of my pantry, thanks to Giada DeLaurentis, who makes a farro salad with course
pesto that is scrumptious. Farro is a variety of wheat that originated in the Haute-Savoie region of France, and is also used in
Italian cooking. It has become popular enough that it is now stocked in most of
our local grocery stores.

Then I just got creative, letting my palate
guide me. I decided to roast the kale salad to get a good crisp on it, mixing
it with a bit of olive oil and truffle salt. I just boiled the farro in broth,
and poached a few chicken breasts for added protein. Tossed with some
additional olive oil, some fresh lemon juice and zest, with a good measure of
both parmesan cheese and fresh ground pepper, and we had a healthy one-bowl
meal, with plenty left over for lunches.(A vegetarian version can be made by replacing chicken broth with
vegetable broth and omitting the chicken. Vegans can omit cheese.)

A week later, I made a slightly different version, adding a half
a slivered onion and a few chopped mushrooms to the kale roast, tossed in some
leftover grilled chicken, and topped it all with a miso dressing.Again, a winning combination.

I’m thinking there are endless variations to this kale
salad, both cooked and uncooked. What would you do with it?

Kale-Farro Salad

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1 cup farro

pinch salt

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

8-ounce bag/clamshell rainbow kale salad

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon truffle salt

1/8 cup olive oil

1/3 cup lemon juice

zest of 1 lemon

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Bring broth, water, and a pinch of salt to boil in medium
saucepan, add farro and stir. Cover slightly and cook for 22-25 minutes
stirring occasionally, until liquid is almost completely evaporated.

Meanwhile, poach 2 chicken breasts in water. Depending upon
size of breasts, this should take 20-25 minutes.

Place kale salad in roasting pan, toss with 2 tablespoons
olive oil and sprinkle with truffle salt. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes,
stirring every 5 minutes, until you’ve got some of the kale nicely browned.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

You heard it right, there is a new cookbook by Mrs. B…and
Brilliant Daughter. A loving collaboration between the two of us for friends
and family, we’ve been able to make it available to the public on Amazon.

Named after this blog, Eating
Suburbia is a follow-up to Eat · Drink · Merry, a cookbook that debuted in 2010. That
first book—a compilation of family favorites—was a product of this blog and our
love of food. Three years and hundreds of recipes later, this second book is
following in those footsteps.

I had a blast working with Brilliant Daughter on recipe
testing, formatting, design. And for those of you who have eaten in our home,
you should easily figure out the impetus behind the cover design. This time
around we made the cover very personal (and probably less commercial), paying
homage to the 4x6’ chalkboard that hung in our kitchen for almost 15 years. Our
“communications center,” this utilitarian wall décor served us well, keeping
track of shopping lists, phone messages, chore duty, family contact
information, and, during holidays, became an oversized greeting card for our
guests. And although it was retired when we remodeled, the fond memories linger
and became the inspiration.

The effort behind these cookbooks is to encourage cooks to
break out of a cooking rut and spice up the kitchen with fresh ingredients and
some foreign flavors. As I’ve said before, I believe that the world might be a
better place if the canned veggies, packaged cookies, and oversweet jams were
left on the shelves, and we spent a little time digging into the garden and
flour bag and treating our families and ourselves to something better.

By sharing, we hope that someone will take the next step in
the kitchen by trying to make mujadara, Guinness bread, a spicy tuna roll, or
the perfect pecan pie, and know that it doesn’t have to be complicated and that
the end result speaks for itself.

This book is comprised of eight sections: Breakfast,
Appetizers, Lunch, Dinner, Sides, Quick & Easy, Desserts, and Odds &
Ends. Sidebars contain tips on shortcuts, cooking ingredients and sources.
There is a bonus section in the back that contains the 10 most treasured
recipes from our first cookbook, Eat ·
Drink · Merry.

All recipes were tested in our suburban kitchens, without
any fancy equipment (unless a candy thermometer and Kitchen Aid mixer count as
fancy). All ingredients are easily sourced and the majority of the recipes take
less than one hour. So what are you waiting for? Take a chance, make a
change—your stomach will thank you for it.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

We are a household who will eat pretty much anything and we
have few food allergies or intolerances, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t try
and please those who are vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free. We know quite a few
people who prescribe to those diets and I think food should be just as tasty
for them as it is the rest of the world.

For some time I have been hunting for a decent vegan cookie.
One that I myself would eat and that wouldn’t take ingredients not already in my
pantry. I finally found upon a recipe, that I modified slightly and am proud to
blog about.

These thumbprint cookies use almond meal instead of flour.
(Almond meal, as well as coconut oil, is available at Trader Joe’s and Whole
Foods.) The almond meal holds up well and provides for a sweetness that negates
the use of traditional sweeteners. The small amount of maple syrup is just the
right touch. Best of all, these are vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and
dairy-free!

Friday, February 01, 2013

Many (many) moons ago, I worked on the very first book that
Travelers’ Tales ever published, a travel anthology on Thailand.
And while I’ve worked on over 100 books since that time, it remains my
favorite. It was the first book to take me to a faraway exotic locale in a
magical way that only really good writing can accomplish.

To celebrate the publication of that first book, and many
more to come, I learned to cook Thai food. Inspired by a story by Kemp Miles
Minifie about the cooking school at the famed Bangkok Oriental hotel, I went
out and bought a wonderful cookbook by Vatcharin Bhumichitr and taught myself
about galangal and nam pla, red and green curry, long beans and satay. This was
back in 1992, before Thai food became mainstream, so I had nothing to compare
it to.

Ten years later, the publishers wanted to update the book,
and I found myself on a plane going halfway across the world to replicated
Kemp’s experience. For ten days, my friend Jen Leo and I ate our way through
Thailand. First at the Bangkok Oriental, where we had some supreme digs and I
had 3 days of intensive cooking classes. (We floated on the Chao Phraya,
wandered the streets, and had the opportunity to eat thai food at both street
carts and fancy restaurants.) Then we went south to Phuket, to Mom Tri’s
Boathouse, where we lounged on the beach, went sea kayaking, visited Koh Phi
Phi (don’t you love these names?) and had another 2 days of cooking classes. I
came away fat and happy.

Since that time, Thai cooking has been a part of my
repertoire. And recently I had to privilege of sharing that with a friend. Jan
retired two years ago, and as a gift I offered her a cooking lesson. Yes, she
is of retirement age, and yes she can cook, but I was thinking of a fun
activity we could share and bringing something new into her kitchen. So this
week, we set to work and I was the teacher instead of the student.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

It’s cold outside and I needed something
thick and hot that would warm my bones. Rather than cook one of my go-to soups
or stews, I decided to try one of Brilliant Daughter’s favorites: Oaxaca
Tortilla Soup. This hearty Mexican-inspired soup did just the trick. Flavors
abound, from the cool creaminess of the avocado and the sour cream to the zesty
flavor of the lime juice and chili powder, combining to make a complex soup
that comes together in a jiffy.

While the original version is vegetarian, you
can make a heartier version by adding leftover shredded chicken or some cooked
prawns. And no worries if you cannot find the dried Pasilla de Oaxaco, you can
substitute a dried chipotle or 1 tablespoon of chili or chipotle powder.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

We’ve been experiencing several concurrent days of frost
here in California, and while the weather is certainly not as severe as in many
parts of the country, it is dire when it comes to my prized Meyer lemons. So
Saturday found me picking 3 flats of Meyers, yielding a total of 71 pounds.

On Sunday I began to make use of the lemons, and it’s much
harder than you might think. Here is what I have done so far:

1. Limoncello

I started off with peeling 15 lemons for limoncello.
I’ve got those peels mixed with 1.75 liters of Skye vodka, marinating for a
month in my large glass sangria dispenser. Then I’ll make some lemon simple
syrup to combine and finish it off. I keep my limoncello in the freezer and it
can be used over ice cream, served plainly over ice, and in a version of the
favored lemon drop cocktail. It’s a perfect summer drink (try adding some to
your iced tea for a tasty adult version!), and will store nicely chilled until
that time.

2. Simple Syrup

I also made a quart of lemon simple
syrup, which involved 2 cups of sugar, 2 cups of water and 6 quartered
lemons. I just boil it all for 10 minutes, let it cool, strain and pour into
jars. We use this to flavor sparkling water, ice tea, hot tea, and of course,
those lemon drop cocktails.

3. Lemon Zest and Juice

I have recipes that call for lemon zest, and often just make
a topping for veggies using garlic, lemon zest, salt and some toasted bread
crumbs. So I like to have some on hand. I do two types, a fine zest using a
microplane and a long curly zest done with a traditional zester. I make little
piles on a sheet of wax paper and throw them in the freezer for an hour or two.
Once frozen, they can go in a Ziploc or Tupperware in the freezer for future
use. Once I’ve zested the lemons, I juice them and freeze them in half-pint and
pint jars. They are perfect for desserts, lemon curd, lemonade, soups, any
recipe calling for lemon juice. You can even defrost them slightly in the
microwave and just pour out the amount needed, popping the remainder back in
the freezer. I now have 8 jars of
juice in the freezer.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Spicy Grilled Tuna Rolls—a cross between sushi and a lobster
roll—always elicits a chorus of “yums” when served. That means I can pretty
well guarantee that you will love these on first bite.

Brilliant Daughter brought this recipe to my attention over
the summer, and I have fixed it numerous times since, including a small
informal dinner party in Charleston in September. I have yet seen a diner walk
away unsatisfied. And while they are somewhat costly to make, give the price
for quality fresh tuna these days, they are well worth the indulgence. I have
also found that it is worth sourcing out King’s Hawaiian or brioche hot dog
rolls, for both flavor and presentation.

Quick to fix, you can complete this dish within 30 minutes.
Should you have any problem finding wasabi powder for the dressing, you can
substitute wasabi paste, both of which should be adjusted for your own palate.
The dressing should be slightly hotter than you want, as mixing it in with the
blander tuna and avocado will dampen the spiciness.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

There are some days when I just don’t have time to spend
hours in the kitchen cooking the family dinner, and for this reason I keep
quick and easy recipes on hand that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less and
will please all the palates at the table. This recipe, modified from Sunset magazine, is part of that
repertoire.

Originally prepared for me by my good friend Jen Leo, it requires only 5-10 minutes of prep
time and is ready to serve in about 25 minutes. I often double the recipe to
use for lunches, which definitely impresses the co-workers.

While the recipe calls for ground chicken, you can
also use ground bison or lean ground pork. Bison is becoming more
available across the U.S. and the majority of American bison is
grass-fed and privately—not mass—produced. Overall, bison is leaner than
ground beef and contains more iron, as well as less calories and cholesterol.

Asian Lettuce Cups

1 pound
lean ground chicken

1
tablespoon vegetable oil

1
tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1
tablespoon garlic, minced

2 1/2
tablespoons Asian black bean sauce

1 1/2
tablespoons hoisin sauce (plus extra for serving)

1 8-ounce
can water chestnuts, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped

1 bunch
green onions, sliced (both white and green)

1 cup
chopped roasted unsalted peanuts

1 cup
chopped cilantro

1 large
head butter lettuce, separated into leaves

Sriracha
chili sauce

Heat
oil in large fry pan over medium heat. Add meat, ginger and garlic, breaking up
the meat as it cooks. Fry until meat is just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile,
break apart a head of butter lettuce, rinsing off the individual leaves, and
drying on paper towels. Dab off excess water with paper towel and place leaves
on a plate.

When
meat is cooked, add black bean sauce and hoisin and stir just until combined.
Stir in water chestnuts and onions and cook for one minute to heat through.
Take off the heat, and mix in the cilantro.

Spoon
mixture into a serving bowl. Serve with chopped peanuts, hoisin, and sriracha
on the side.

To
assemble, take one lettuce leave and smear with hoisin or Sriracha, top with
meat and peanuts, fold in half and enjoy!

Monday, January 07, 2013

Cold winter days call for hearty soups and one of our
mainstays is this creamy French lentil soup. The recipe elevates the lowly
lentil, which is quick to cook, cheap to buy and good for you, but often
overlooked.

Lentils are a member of the legume family and come in a variety
of colors from a dull brown to green, to French black to a vibrant red/orange,
and are sold in one-pound bags or in the bulk aisle of grocery stores. The
benefits are myriad and, given their diminutive size, rather amazing. First is
the amount of dietary fiber packed in these little guys; one cup provides 62%
of your daily dietary fiber requirement, which in addition to the high
percentages of magnesium and folate, make them a heart healthy choice. You also
get six minerals, two B vitamins, and 35% of your daily protein requirement,
and it only adds up to 229 calories. All this and they are basically fat-free.

Lentils can be cooked plainly with some diced garlic and
onion and curry to make a simple daal
(served with plain yogurt), or they can be dressed up with lots of veggies,
herbs, and meat, and served for supper, like they are here.

This recipe took about 5 minutes to prep and 10 minutes of
hands-on cooking time, and spanned 80 minutes start to finish, the bulk of
which it is just simmering on the stove. So you can come home, get it started,
and relax for an hour or so. Served with some hearty bread, this makes a
complete meal, given the vegetables incorporated in the soup.

Note: While the recipe
calls for bacon, chicken stock and cream, you can make a vegetarian and vegan
version. The bacon can be omitted, using a bit of olive oil to sauté the onions
and garlic. Vegetable stock can substitute for the chicken stock, and there are
vegan (soy, tofu and nut-based) cream alternatives.

Creamy French Lentil
Soup

4 ounces sliced bacon, diced

2 cup diced onions

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon dry thyme

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup diced celery

1 cup brown lentils

2 quarts chicken stock

2 cups diced tomato

3 bay leaves

1 cup whipping cream

Salt, nutmeg, cayenne, and white pepper to taste

2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Heat a 4-quart pot and cook bacon until crispy. Add the
onions and garlic and cook over a medium heat until brown. Then add thyme, bay
leaves, carrots, celery, and lentils and stir well. Add the chicken stock and
bring to a simmer, and cook for 40 minutes until the lentils are soft. Cover
the pot and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Uncover the pot and add the tomatoes, cream, basil and
seasoning and return to a simmer for 5 minutes.

Thursday, January 03, 2013

I am not, and
have never been, a fan of the potpie. Growing up, potpies were bought frozen
and had too much crust and not enough flavor. And they didn’t lend themselves
to drowning in some sort of sauce of my youth (ketchup, A-1, salsa) to amp up
the flavor. But last year, when I was tending to my mom in the hospital and Brilliant
Daughter was doing all the cooking for the family, she made this
exceptional dish. A potpie that not only tasted wonderful, but was a comfort—to
my stomach, to my soul, to my heart. I had seconds, and even thirds. (I think I
must have needed a lot of comfort!)

I’ve actually
resisted making it again, because even though the food memories are wonderful,
the circumstances and body memories during that difficult time thwarted my
effort. But I was ready to try it again. I think you’ll agree that it is worth
the effort.

I started by
completing my mis
en place. (Prepping all the ingredients ahead of time allows me to visit
with my family more during our weekly Sunday dinners.) I diced up our tasty
home-cured and smoked bacon, chopped the vegetables, ran to the garden to cut
some marjoram, and instead of using shredded chicken (from a purchased
rotisserie chicken), I made use of the leftover turkey from First Christmas.
(Yes, we had 2 Christmas’ this year!) I hate to let anything go to waste!

Once you have the
ingredients in place, the prep time is about 30 minutes and then the potpie
gets popped it in the oven for an additional 22-25 minutes. You could actually
do the prep a few hours ahead of time, leaving the puff pastry off and
completing that final step before putting the potpie in the oven for the final
bake.

This is not a
terribly complicated recipe, and using a shredded rotisserie chicken cuts down
on prep work, so think about treating your family to a bit of comfort…and enjoy
those leftovers.

Cook bacon in
heavy large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels.

Add onion to
drippings in skillet and sauté until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add
carrots, haricot vert and marjoram, stirring for 1 minute. Add broth and bring
to boil over high heat.

Reduce heat to
medium-high and boil until vegetables are almost tender and some liquid is
reduced, about 8 minutes. Stir in 2/3 cup crème fraîche, chicken, and bacon.
Bring to simmer. Season with pepper.

Pour chicken
mixture into a deep-dish pie pan or cast iron stewpot.

Unfold puff
pastry onto work surface; roll out to be slightly larger than your dish. Top
chicken mixture with pastry; fold edges down onto rim. Brush top of crusts (not
edges) with remaining 1 tablespoon crème fraîche. Cut small X in center of
crust; pierce all over with fork. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling
is heated through, about 22 minutes.

About Me

I live the life of a typical soccer mom in the suburbs with my husband, three children, and two cats. Working for a travel publisher for 12 years, I began visiting destinations through food, rather than by airplane. I learned about Thailand, India, Spain, and a dozen other countries through their cuisines. And that food remains a staple in my kitchen. My children grew up on curries, Provencal lamb dishes, moles, and the occasional meatloaf (on request). I am now taking the love of food farther afield and venturing into foreign lands, incorporating it into every travel destination I can get to, be it Erie, Pennsylvania or Taipei, Taiwan. Those of us in suburbia need to break out of the roast chicken, barbequed ribs, pork chop mentality and spice up our kitchens with the food of the world. We need to leave the canned veggies, packaged cookies, and oversweet jams on the shelves, and dig into the garden and flour bag and treat our families and ourselves to something better. As I continue to learn, I will share, and maybe someone will take the step towards a tagine or a brulee, and know that it doesn’t have to be complicated, and that the end result speaks for itself.